I do not own Teen Titans.
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Chapter 4: The Calm Before The Storm
"Don't you understand how this would affect us? This treaty would greatly aid our country's economy!"
"I do understand how this would affect us, quite well, but it is my belief that the consequences down the line would not be worth it. Depending on a country like Russia could very well ruin our nation. Yes, they are much more stable than us, but if something happens to their country, we would be forced to assist them, and we don't have the resources for something like that."
"You're making a huge mistake. Our country needs this. We're in a depression, and without receiving help soon, we may never get out of it. Think of your children, think of our people!"
"That is enough. We will continue this discussion another time. For now, I want you to go back to your own home and think this through again. Perhaps you will begin to see things my way."
"As you wish, sire… But come tomorrow, perhaps it will be you, Myand'r, who will see things my way."
Kori looked up from her food and watched as Norand'r got up from his chair and stormed out of the dining room, cursing in English rather than in Tamaranian. He had hardly touched his food, and if she had felt a little more comfortable, she might have asked to eat it. Tamaranians were well known for their appetite.
"Kom, Kori, I am sorry that you had to hear that. Norand'r just refuses to see that Russia is not the right nation to side with. If it had been England, I might have agreed, but it was not. We'll just have to wait a little while longer before we can get out of this depression. Time changes everything, and usually for the best," Her Father said, a fake smile spreading across his face.
Next to her, Kori's sister, Komand'r, who went by the name Kom, sighed. "But Father, he is right. Our country is in a depression, and signing an agreement with another country, even Russia, would greatly help us. Why not just-" Their mother, Luand'r, raised a hand to silence her.
"Your Father is the ruler of this country, and if he believes that this is the right choice, then it is," She said. Kom opened her mouth to speak, but their Mother saw it coming. "Do not argue with me. Finish your dinner and go to your room." Kom grumbled, shove her plate away disobediently, and ran upstairs.
Kori moved her plate away as well, standing. "Mother, Father, I am going to my room," She said quietly, then ran into the other room before they could say anything.
Truth be told, she wasn't sure who to side with. She loved her Father dearly, but she was secretly angry that he hadn't managed to get their country out of this depression. Their country had never been very prosperous, but the past two years had been much worse than usual. Norand'r was her Father's top associate, and he had traveled all over the world searching for an ally to assist them. Norand'r wanted America to be an ally, but Russia turned out to be the only eager country.
When she was little, her Father would sit her down with her brother and sister, and say, "Ryand'r, Komand'r, Koriand'r, one day, this country will be all yours. I am confident that you will make our nation more powerful than it ever has been."
Back then, she had loved living in Tamaran. That had changed in the last few years. Now it was nothing special. She was tired of it. Though she had never mentioned it to her parents, she really wanted to live in America. She had heard such wonderful things about it. Lately, she had come so close to bringing it up, but she was scared. Although she was 19 years old, Kori had never been out on her own. Also, she had a feeling that her parents were leaning towards her to rule the country after they stepped down. She didn't want to disappoint them.
"Lost in thought again, sister?" Kom's cold voice came from Kori's dark bedroom at the top of the stairs.
"Oh, yes, I suppose I was a little lost," Kori replied cheerfully. Her sister and her had never gotten along, but Kori always tried to keep them on the best terms possible.
"Father is acting ridiculous. Our country is never going to get back to normal if he does not take a risk. It is too bad that they have made it clear that I will not rule. I would make it a much better place…" Kom trailed off. Kori bit her lip. It made her feel awkward when Kom talked about their Father this way.
"I am sure that our brother will allow you to help in the decision making. You know he values both of our opinions. Once he comes back from the west-" Kori said.
"Ryand'r has no plan to rule this country. We both know that our parents intend for you to be ruler. You are too perfect to keep from the throne," Kom said venomously, making Kori feel even more awkward.
"Well, I am going to go and talk to Galfore, I will see you later," She said randomly. Kori speedily shuffled away, walking across the house and all the way to Galfore's room. He was the family caretaker, and was a very good person.
"Hello, Kori, how are you?" His gruff voice said in English from behind her.
Kori racked her memory, trying to recall their last secret English lesson. "I… am… okay," She replied slowly. Galfore smiled.
"You did good," He said, back in their native tongue. She sighed, licking her lips hungrily at Galfore's sandwich. Her appetite was back.
"Thank you… May I talk to you in private?" She asked politely.
"Certainly," He answered. Galfore waved a hand to his room. Kori walked in, and she heard Galfore shut it a moment later. "Kori, I know what you're going to say, and there's only one thing that we can do…" He said. Her stomach clenched, because she knew what was coming. Galfore turned towards her. "We have to tell them that you want out."
---
It had only been two weeks since she had told her parents that she wanted to leave for America, but she felt like a totally different person. American culture was so different. There were so many people, so many tall buildings, and a McDonald's on every corner. Her country didn't have a McDonald's, but so far she was loving how it tasted.
The only problem was work. Her parents had acquired her a small place to live, and they found somebody to help her get along, but no one had bothered to help her get a job. She had completed school in Tamaran, but her parents insisted she wait a few years before she did anything further. Ryand'r was the only member of the family who had bothered to get further schooling right away.
Kori went from place to place in the first week, looking for people hiring, asking for applications, and even doing a few on the spot interviews. It was all a waste of time. She had no luck. Although she had enough money to last a few months, she believed that it would be better for her if she could have some financial security. She loved America, and she refused to leave over something as simple as money.
"Hey, kid, you alright?" Someone asked. Kori saw a man a few feet away, staring at her through the light snow that Gotham had going.
"Me? Oh, I am fine, thank you for asking," She replied. Nervous as she was, Kori had still managed to say it perfectly in English. She had really gotten the hang of it.
The man crept closer, looking her up and down. His eyes lingered on her dark red hair. He smiled suddenly. "What's your name?" He asked.
"Koriand'r," She mumbled.
"Kori Anders?" He asked, and without waiting for a confirmation, he shot off another question. "You need a job?"
"Yes! Do you have a job for me? I have been looking for one." Kori was dancing on the inside. Finally, someone was willing to give her a job.
"Well, I've got an idea for you. It isn't for everybody, but I think you could pull it off nicely if you got the hang of it…" He trailed off for a moment, his eyes darting around, occasionally stopping on her chest. "How old are you?"
Kori shifted uncomfortably. She had heard that American men did not have much respect for women. The rumors seemed to be true. "I am 19," She finally answered.
The man clapped his hands excitedly, then grabbed onto Kori's hand. "Come with me, I think you're gonna like this."
---
"Kori, you okay?"
Kori snapped out of her mini-trance, the sound of music filling her ears. Suddenly she was back in the bar, Victor next to her. He looked concerned.
"Yes, I am fine. Just… thinking," She said, giving a weak smile. Victor seemed satisfied, turning back to his friends. The alcohol she had drank made the room swing for a moment, but she shook it off.
'Two years…' She thought. She had been in America for a little more than two years now. The moment she had just lost herself in was a little bit strange. She remembered it so well. The man, Elliot, had brought her to a large apartment. There were girls there, some dressed, some completely naked. They were talking about their latest "shifts", laughing at one another's stories. Kori remembered how shocked she was when she learned exactly what the job she was getting
Really, she didn't plan on staying in this kind of work. At first, she hated it. Since she had no experience, another girl had to teach her everything. Her first night out was terrible. But just three months later, she found herself completely okay with everything. The money was good, she worked a safe part of town, and she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the sex. After a year passed, she had met Victor, gotten herself a nice place, and even officially changed her name to Kori Anders. Still… she had never really wanted this for herself. Also, she never told her parents the whole truth. She just called her work "sales." Her parents thought that she meant real estate, so she just played along, and everyone was happy. Perhaps someday she would explain everything to them. Perhaps someday she would get out of this life and do something worthwhile…
Out of nowhere, a loud bang snapped her out of her latest trance.
"What in the hell was that?" Richard yelled. Kori saw that many of the customers were looking in the direction of the sound, which had come from near the back. Then she saw Slade Wilson appear from around the corner and wave someone over, and a moment later Bruce Wayne walked by and followed Slade out of the room.
Victor stood up, motioning for Richard to follow. "We should check this out, could be important." He paused, looking at Logan. "You'd better come too." Logan nodded, and the three of them left, leaving Kori with Raven.
"What do you think that's all about?" Raven asked dryly. Kori shrugged.
"Perhaps it is just a drunken customer?" She suggested. Not a moment later, several yells came from the back room. Kori looked towards Raven, but the girl was gone, up at the bar getting a drink of something.
She knew enough about Bruce Wayne, Victor, and Richard to realize that this probably wasn't good at all. But then again, it could be a drunken customer, like she had said. Either way, she wanted her friends to return soon. She felt like getting out of this bar. Kori enjoyed drinking, but she was too tired to stay up much longer
"Much better," Raven said when she returned to the table, sounding totally out of it, yet somehow managing to look fairly sober.
"Do you always drink this much?" Kori asked, already knowing the answer. She was also a regular at the bar, because of Victor, but she asked the question just to release some tension.
Raven paid no attention it though. "My Mother is dead and my Father is in jail. I even helped put him there. Does that make me a bad person? I don't think so. He never treated me right. He got what he deserved."
Kori gulped, not sure of what to say. This was quite a random topic. Then she got an idea.
"I am actually a princess from a small foreign country in eastern Africa," She said quietly. As she had guessed, Raven didn't even realize what she had just confessed for the first time in America. "Thank you, I have been waiting to tell someone that for so long," Kori whispered. She smiled widely, looking up just in time to see Richard and Victor coming out of the back room. They looked dead serious.
"It's no big deal, just some commotion caused by someone outside," Bruce yelled from behind them. Richard and Victor exchanged strange looks, but they faded quickly once they reached the table.
"We're gonna get out of here," Victor said, nudging Richard.
"Yeah, there was a commotion back there, like Bruce said." Richard yawned loudly. "Neither of us are in much of a drinking mood now," He added. Kori knew better than to ask about the disturbance.
"Kori, I can give you a ride home, if you need one. I've had a bit to drink, so I'll take it slow, just for you," Victor said to her, winking. Kori nodded, smiling.
Next to her, Raven smashed an empty glass onto the table loudly. "I guess I had better get going," She said. Raven picked up her purse, but Richard grabbed her arm to stop her.
"I really don't think you should be driving," He said, concerned.
Raven stepped away, doing it in a way that would make you think she wasn't drunk at all. Her movements were perfect. If Kori didn't know better, she might think Raven was totally sober.
"Don't worry about me. I only live a mile away, so I walk. Hell, I don't even have a car. Everywhere I go is within five miles," She said.
Richard grabbed his briefcase from the floor. "Then I guess I'm going to walk you home," He told her. Raven shrugged.
"Oh joy, just what I was hoping for," She said sarcastically. Raven masked it well, but Kori saw the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.
"Yo, Logan!" Victor called across the room. Logan, who was talking to Bruce and Slade, looked over. "You need a ride home?" He asked.
Logan nodded a few times at what Bruce said to him, then walked slowly over to their table, hands in his pockets. "No, I'm good. Got my new moped today," He said when he got there, grinning widely and giving them a double thumbs up.
"Okay man, take care then." Victor held his arm out, and Kori gladly took it.
"I will… see you later," Kori said to Logan. She turned to Richard and Raven, who were talking quietly. "Raven, I hope to see you again." Raven nodded, which Kori supposed was a nice thing for her. "Bye, Richard…" She mumbled. He smiled, giving her a goodbye back.
Victor led her towards the main bar door, briefcase in his left hand, then grabbed her hand with his right and holding it tightly. "You have no idea how crazy this day has been…" He said as they walked out. Judging by how everyone was acting, Kori felt that she had a pretty good idea.
---
"You actually stopped drinking for a while there, I was shocked," He said to her. Raven laughed weakly.
"Not half as much as I was," She said, leaning on Richard. He put an arm around her to hold her closer. With any other person right then, she might have gotten angry. But with him… she liked it.
"So, uh… do you have a nice place?" Richard asked slowly.
"I don't know, I guess so. I've only been there for a few months. After my Father got put away, I decided to stay for a little bit. It was… too hectic though, and way too big for one person. Back when he was around, the size was a good thing. I could keep my distance. But without him there, it just didn't work out. A nice apartment suits me just fine anyway…"
"It seems like you really don't like him, but still… I'm sorry about your Father. Not having parents, even at our age, can be tough, don't you think?" Richard said.
It kind of seemed like he was opening up to her. He didn't sound like his usual careless self. She decided that doing the same right back was the right thing to do, even if it might freak him out. Totally ignoring the question, she launched into her story
"Even a year ago I was…"
---
Raven kicked off her shoes and tossed down her backpack. She threw her work hat onto the ground and rushed right to the fridge. She grabbed a random beer, opening it and downing half as fast as she could. It had been a long day, and relaxation was the top thing on her mind.
Plopping down on the couch, she flicked on an episode of The X-Files and stretched her limbs out. She had just worked a six hour shift on a Friday night, and she got to sit down for about a total of five minutes. She had never seen so many people come in to order pizzas.
"If Wayne wants to make this a gang war, then he'll get a gang war. He might have more control than anyone else in this city, but we can't let that stop us. Tom, I say that we strike now."
Raven grumbled at the sound of that voice. She got so tired of her Father and Blood discussing their little battle plans. He was there five nights a week, talking to her Father about all the competition in the city, suggesting ideas, delivering items. She couldn't stand Blood. What kind of a forty year old man had a nickname like that anyway?
"We aren't jumping into anything just yet. You know very well that he could crush us with ease. But soon, I promise we will fight back. Just be patient," She heard her Father say. Both him and Blood walked into the room a moment later.
"Raven, what a delight to see you. How was work?" Blood asked in a sickeningly sweet tone. Sometimes she thought he had a thing for her.
"I work for absolutely no reason, how do you think it was?" Raven said.
Blood gave a smirk in return. "Just because you're Father is rich doesn't mean that all work is pointless. It builds maturity and responsibility, aspects that you happen to be lacking in. Though a job clearly isn't-"
"Now Blood, don't talk to my daughter that way. She'll be your boss someday, once she comes around that is. It's only a matter of time," Her Father said. He grinned widely at her.
"I'd best be going then. I'll call if anything develops." Blood grabbed his coat, which was really a white robe sort of thing. "Tom," He said, nodding at her Father, who nodded back. Blood looked her in the eye. "Raven…" He mumbled, then headed out the door.
"Go to hell!" She called after him. Raven finished her beer and walked into the kitchen to get another one. She opened it and took a quick drink like she always did. When she turned around, her Father was practically on top of her.
"I've told you time and time again, my daughter, do not talk to my business partners like that," He said irritably.
Raven laughed in his face. "Why do you insist on calling him a business partner? He's your lackey, minion, goon, whatever you want to call him. Just because he's the top guy next to you doesn't make him any different from all the other low-lifes you control. It's pathetic."
Without warning, her Father slapped her in the face. Raven's beer fell to the floor, her face stinging with pain.
"I was going to drink that," She whispered, then went to go slap him back. Her Father easily caught her by the wrist and twisted. She started to cry out in pain, but quickly clenched her teeth to shut herself up. She didn't want him to have the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
"If you were anybody else, anybody at all, I would have killed you," He said. Her Father released her, and she rubbed her wrist immediately. "You are my daughter though, and for that reason I will allow you to occasionally act out. Keep it in mind though: One day I do expect you to be the leader of my people."
"I don't want anything to do with that. Why can't you just let me do what I really want to do? I wanted to go to school and be normal like everybody else, but you forced me to stay here, and for what? So I could lead your stupid gang after you're gone. Find someone else to do it," She said. Raven opened the fridge, grabbed two beers, and walked by him.
"You're the one to do it. No one else is meant to do this. Perhaps you don't get that though… Your Mother was always much more understanding of me," He said, causing Raven to whirl around sharply.
"Don't even bring her up. She died because of you and your damn band of criminals. You were supposed to die in that shooting, not her!" Raven shouted. "Why couldn't you have been the one to die…?" She muttered miserably.
She glanced up, expecting to see some sort of emotion on her Father's face, but he looked as stony as ever on the topic. Without saying another word, Raven went up to her room, tears pouring down her face for the first time in what felt like forever. She laid back in bed, finished both her beers quickly, and drifted off to sleep. All the while, there was only one thought on her mind…
Why couldn't her Father just go away?
---
She awoke next morning to the sound of a door banging open. Then she heard voices, loud ones. There was the distinct sound of a chair tipping over, and then a dull smashing noise, like someone had been thrown to the wall.
"This can't be good…" Raven said tiredly. She kicked the beer cans on the floor out of her way, yawned, and then quietly opened her door. Tiptoeing downstairs, she listened in on what was being said.
"Tom Nomed, you are under arrest for the murder of Bradley Liedzeit. You have the…"
Raven drowned out whatever was said next. The murder they were accusing her Father of was the murder of Blood. Bradley Liedzeit was his real name. Had her Father gone out the night before, perhaps after she fell asleep?
They were taking her Father away when he turned the corner. He was busy shouting at the cops.
"You think I killed my own man? I guess that makes you cops dumber than you look. I'll be cleared for sure. This has setup written all over it!" He barked.
"It wouldn't be too shocking if you murdered him," Raven said from behind everyone. It wasn't until then that she noticed there were no less than six men, all armed with weapons. The one holding her Father.
"You're going to need to come with us for questioning, Miss Roth," Said the man nearest her. Raven nodded slowly, looking into her Father's eyes.
"I'd be happy to help…"
---
"So they questioned me, and I told them that my Father got angry at Blood the night that he died, and that I didn't hear him after I went to sleep, which is weird because I can always hear him doing something at night," Raven said.
Richard kept walking, never taking an eye off of her, even as he was fumbling for a cigarette in his pocket. However, Victor's nagging voice crept into his mind, and he decided to let it go.
"When I got on the stand, I talked about how violent he could be towards everyone, and how he said he would kill anybody but me if they made him mad. I think what really convinced everybody was when I said that I didn't hear him downstairs at night. It backed up the theory that he was out of the house when the murder happened. He had no provable alibi. I don't know whether my story helped or not, but either way he got put away," She finished.
Richard had listened to every word of her story, and suddenly remembered Trigon's trial. He hadn't really followed it, but he vaguely recalled Bruce and Slade talking about Trigon's own daughter testifying. They had been talking about Raven… He couldn't believe that he hadn't remembered earlier.
"His people kept bothering me at home. It took me three months to decide that enough was enough. I have a feeling that the only reason I wasn't killed by one of those idiots was because he ordered them not to." Raven stopped and pointed up at the apartment building next to her. "Oh, this is my p-"
"Do you think he really did it though?" He asked, cutting her off abruptly. Raven seemed to think for a moment, her eyes rolling up in a sign of concentration.
"Well, no, I don't. Every time I looked into his eyes, he looked innocent. But I don't care. Like I said before, he got what he deserved," She answered darkly.
Letting out a low whistle, Richard rocked back and forth on his heels, trying to act casual. "That's an interesting story, let me tell you," He said, suddenly deciding that a change of topic would be smart. If you want, we can talk about it more… tomorrow though. I think you need to get some rest. You don't act the part, but you're pretty damn drunk." Richard pulled out a piece of old paper from his pocket and wrote down his cell phone number. "Here, call me sometime," He said, giving his trademark grin as he handed her the crumbled paper. Then he turned to leave.
"Wait," She said behind him. Raven grabbed his hand, turned him around, and before he knew it, they were kissing. She pulled away just a second later. "Why don't you come up for the night?" She asked.
Richard spun around immediately, biting his lip in an effort to hold back a yell. This was his lucky night. "Yeah, alright, let me just…" He trailed off in mid sentence as his conscience kicked in.
"Let you what?" Raven asked curiously. Richard looked her up and down, his body screaming yes to her but his heart screaming no.
"No, I don't think it's a good idea. Maybe another time, but not tonight," Richard replied. He desperately wanted to stab himself for passing up this opportunity.
"Do you realize that I'm offering you a free fuck? You don't need to call me, don't need to get me dinner, don't need to even acknowledge me again. You're a nice looking guy, and I think you deserve some action for putting up with me all night. So what do you say?"
Once again his body begged him to go for it, but he knew that it wasn't right. She was drunk, and he wasn't one to take advantage of a girl. He had made up his mind.
"Listen, I appreciate the offer, really. But you're like no girl I have ever met before, and I'd rather just take my time. I don't know about you, but I actually like you," Richard said, sounding very unlike himself. "Call me tomorrow, if you want. I'll be waiting," He added. Then he kissed her on the lips briefly, and walked away, leaving Raven in total awe.
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You know, when I thought that ending out, I saw it going along a lot smoother. Oh well, forgive me. For characters there, I'd like to make sure that everyone knows that Komand'r was Blackfire, and that Blood/Bradley Liedzeit was Brother Blood. Norand'r was a fictional Tamaranian. Just want to make all that clear. Carrying on, this chapter did come out long, by more than 1500 words, and it would have been longer, but I cut two scenes from Kori's flashback, and then one more scene from Raven's. Anyway, enough with chapters that have hardly anything going on. From here on out, it's all action and suspense and… other stuff like that. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. Once again, expect an update in two weeks or so. Sorry this one was a little bit late. I've got spring break coming up, and instead of going somewhere, I'll be home writing, so there should be no issue with an update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Looking forward to your reviews.
Next chapter: A dream sequence reveals what caused the disturbance in the back of the bar. Shortly after, a series of attacks are made on the members of the Wayne gang. Who is committing these acts of violence?
"You sure, you sure did let her have it…"
-SinFire